Monthly Archives: April 2015

International Palate has created a savory recipe using ramps: Ramp Frittata. With spring in full swing, these wild leeks are a tasty native of North America. They won’t be available for long, so be sure to buy some ramps this Sunday.

Speaking of “likes,” do you like pie? Livin’ the Pie Life will be returning to the market this summer! Because of their growing popularity, they won’t be able to make every market Sunday, so you should check for the “Eat More Pie” banner in the plaza. While you wait for the summer market to begin, you can read about Livin’ the Pie Life in a recent Washington Post article.

Spring Gap Mountain Creamery will rejoin the Westover Farmers Market this Sunday. Spring Gap offers several aged cheeses made near PawPaw, West Virginia from raw milk coming from the Shenandoah Valley. The Creamery’s cheeses include Jersey Gold, Shenandoah Sunrise (a southern French farmstead cheese), Sophie’s Select (a medium sharp cheddar), West Virginia Blue, Bloomery (similar to a Camembert or Brie), and Farmhouse Feta (our favorite!). Spring Gap will be selling up on the plaza area of the market.

An open secret of farmers markets is the availability of fruits and vegetables from our local vendors that are sold at a sharply reduced price as seconds. If you are making an apple pie, who cares if the apples you use are a bit misshapen or have a bruise? Also if you need a large amount of a fruit or vegetable for a recipe, ask the several farm vendors at the market whether they have seconds of what you need. You could get some or all of what you want from the seconds bin and pay notably less than you would at any regular grocery store. Be a sharp farmers market shopper!

Stephanie Ortiz at International Palate has developed a watercress salad recipe using seasonal, local ingredients purchased at Westover Farmers Market. Check out her creative idea for using this zesty green in your next menu: Watercress Salad